Jail-door-operating device.



c; M. PINGH & I. A. KOBTITZ.

JAIL DOOR OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLIOATIOK FILED x0113, 1909.

Patented ma 24, 1910' m & m n m n :1 n \w Win vessel? C. M. PINCH & F. A. KOBTITZ.

JAIL DOOR OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION mum xov.1a.19os.

Patented May 24, 1910 I SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wanna,-

UNITED s ATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H; FINCH All!) FREDERICK A. KOETITZ, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ABSIGNOBS TO FINCK JAIL BUILDING AND METAL COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO,

CALIFORNIA.

JAILDOOB-OPERATING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, Cnanms M. Timon and FREDERICK A. Kos-rrrz, citizens of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of. California, have invented new and useful Improvements in J ail-Door-Operating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a jail door operating device, and particularly pertains to a mechanism for opening, closing and automatically locking cell doors.

It is the object of his invention to provide a jail door operating device by means of which the doors of cells may be opened, closed and locked from a point remote from the door itself.

A further object is to provide a cell door operating. mechanism by means of which any one, or a number of cell doors in the prisoners corridor, may be operated from the jailers corridor, thus not necessitating the keeper entering the section reserved for prisoners. I Another important ob ect-of the invention is to provide means, in connection with the operating mechanism, by which the operator may be informed whether the cell doors are peroperly closed and locked, or not, and thus warned in the event the door-operating mechanism is not-working properly, or if any obstruction prevents the perfect closin and locking of a door.

y the arrangement and construction of the invention as later described, it will be impossible for a prisoner to operate a cell door from either the inside or the outside;

neither can the door be prevented from closing without giving warning to the jailer, or an open door bc closed by a prisoner.

The invention consists of the parts and-the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompany mg drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the invention; showing the cell doors in the closed vand locked position. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line M Fig. 1. Fig. 3 IS an end elevation showing the door-operating valves and signahbox. Fig. 4 is a detail in rspective o the jail-door locking and unocki ng mechanism. Fig. 5 is an enlarged .l detall of the operating valves, in side elevation. Fig. dis a section on the line H of I Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a front view of an operating valve.

n the drawings, A is a cell door of any suitable design and construction which lay suspended from the bearings o rollers 2 adapted to travel back' and forth on an overhead track 3. 'This track 3 is formed of angle irons extending with and above the door A, and slightly separated, as at. 4, so as to form a narrow slot. through which the suspending member 5 of the door A pro- Pntented May 24, 1910. f

jects. Pins 6 in the upper part of the membore 5 pass through longitudinal slots 7 constructed in a fiat bar 8. The pins 6 ride in the slots 7, and connect the bar '8 with the door A, but in such manner that the bar 8 may be moved longitudinally the length of the slots 7 without affecting the door. Apiston rod 9, provided with the usual iston 10, and adapted to be reciprocated in the cylinder 11, is secured to the bar 8 in such manner that as the piston 10 is moved backward and forward, as later described, the door A will travel therewith. The forward end of the bar 8 has its top and bottom faces inclined upwardly, as shown at lie-12, in Fig. 4, and has a projection 13 adapted to bear against an electric cin cuit closer 14, when the door A is in its closed and locked position. k locking bar 15, suitably mounted and guided in the door casing, has its lower end engaging with a notched bracket or latch 16, when the door A is closed, and is slotted at 17 in its u per end so as toslip upon and contact :1 ve and below the bar 8 at a point adjacent to the inclined surfaces '12-12. The lockin bar 15 is fixed against side movement, an

as the bar 8 is moved back and forth, the locking bar 15 is raised and lowered b the action of the inclined surfaces 1212 aring'in the slot 17. Thus, as the bar 8 is moved backward, the incline 12 contacts the bar 15 at the upper end of the slot 17 causing the locking bar 15 to move upward and out of the notched bracket 16. The bracket 16 is secured to and projects from the from; edge of the door A, and is adapted to extend through 18 when the door is closed.

The mechanism for operating the doors is constructed as followsz'Each cell door in a. chain or series, is fitted. with the parts just described, the' piston cylinders 11, on each door, having air conducting pipes a-slot in the. door jjamb' The valves 21 consist of the usual casing in which is seated a hollow cone 23. A partition 24 divides the interior of the cone 23 into two chambers .z-b, each chamber having two ports c-d and e-f, as shown in Fig. 6, adapted to register with ports g--hi--- in the valve casing. The port h is open to an air supply pipe 25, leading to any suitable reservoir containing air under pressure. Port'i is open to pipe 19, and port g is o I! to-pipe 20, leadin to the o osite ends of the cylinders 11. Port. j iS ifil exhaust port open to the atmosphere through pi 26, The valve stem 27 is rovided with a ever 28, on the outer end of which a hollow handle 29' is formed. A pin 30, mounted in the handle 29, normally projects through the lever 28 to engage a rocking-bar 33, a

- spring 31 acting to retain the pin in that osition. A projectin" pe 32 on the pin 0, extends through a Zlot the handle 29, and is adapted to engage with notches in the side of the slot,

so as to retain the pin 30 either in or out of: engagement with the rocking bar 33. The rocking bar 33 extends along the side of the valves 21,- and has a link bearing 3 at its upper end, and a hand lever 35 at its lower end; and is mounted in such manner that as the lever 35 is moved upward or downward, any number of valves 21 may be connected with the rocking bar 33, and will beoperated simultaneously. If it is desired to operate the valves .tl separately, the levers 28 are disconnected from the rocking bar 83 by withdrauhu, the pin 30, and operating the selected valve by the handle 29. In like manner it it is desired to operate a number of valves and not the entire series. those that are not to be used are disconnected from the rocking bar as described, whereupon the remainder can be operated through the lever 35. As each lever 28 operates a door as will be lutcr dcscribcrl, it is apparent that any oueor number of doors in a r-cries, may be opcncd and closed from tho jailcrs cabinet .42, at the will of tho opctutol'.

For the purposc of dctcrmiuing whether or not. the ccll doors are properly closed, an ordinary clcctric call system, such as are in common usc in hotels, oliiccs, etc., is curploycd. 'l'hc dctnilcd construction of such a system is too wclllmown to require a lull description in this case,'as any suitable system may be used that may be found neces sary. 1n the drawings we have shown an indicator 36 located in the jailer's cabinet, and is represented as having transparent sections, numbered to correspond with the doors in the series. Incandescentelectric lamps are placed behind each section, and are connected with a battery 37, and the contact springs 1-}; in such a manner that as the bar 13 touches the contact 14 a circuit is completed from the batteries, causing the light corresponding to the push-button pressed to glow in the indicator. The projection 13 on the bars 8 constantly bears against the contact springs 14, when the doors are closed, thus causing the lights in the indicator to glow continuously, and when the doors are opened, the lights are extinguished. switch 38 is provided whereby the current from the battery may be shut off after the doors are closed, if desired.

In operation, to opcnany one, or a number of cell doors from the jailers cabinet, the valve levers 28 on the valves selected, are connected to the rocking bar 33 as before described. An upward pull on the lever 35 throws the port 0 in the valve cone in alinement with the port '/twhich is open to an air supply; the port (I will then register with the port 11 open to the pipe 19 leading to the forward end of the piston cylinder 11. This causes the piston 10 to be forced back, the air behind the piston escaping through the pipe 20, ports g and e in the valve 21, and exhausting through ports f and As the piston moves backward, the bar 8 travels therewith, thus lifting the locking bar 1;: out of engagement with the notched bracket on the door A, as bcl' ore described. The slot- 7 in the bar 8 permits of the barmoving independent of the door until the locking bar is released, whereupon the pin 6 is engaged by the bar 8 so as to roll the door A backward in unison with the travel of the piston 10. The doors are closedby reversing the operation just described, and turning the valve cone so that air pressure will pass through ports lr-vl und F-g, through pipe 20, to the rear of the piston cylinder,

the air in the forward end exhausting through pipe 19, and ports a'nd c \Vhilc the doors are open they are held in a fixed position by the air pressure in the forward end of the cylinder, until the operation for closing the door begins: The locking bar l5 is raised by means of the projcction 13 on the bar 8 so as to drop into'thc notched bracket. 16 us' the door closes.

The piston cylinders ll,and the innncdiatc connections uborc the doors, are suitably iucascd in a stool box or housing, to \\'l|l('.lt access is obtainable only through sliding doors 39. The doors are locked by means of a projecting stud 40 engaging with a stop it on the door. The stud40 is mounted on a shaft 42 which extends to the jailers cabinet, and is operated by means of a lever i3 normaiiy locked against movement by a pin H. or other suitable means. By operating the lever 43, the shaft 42 may be rotated so as to throw the stud 40 out of. engagement with the stop 41-, so that the door 1%? may he slid open to give access to the interior of the housing. I

All of the operating mechanisms are suitably incased so as to be accessible only to those in authority.

Havingthus described our lllvttitlull, what we claim mid desire to secure by Letters Patent is doors. flu d pressuredevice, o a plurality of guided,

1. The/combination in a door actuating device, of a slidable door, a. slidablc bar to which the door is connected. said bar having alcngitudinal slot and said door having a part engaging the same, fluid pressure devices for operating the bar, and connections between the bar and the door lock for o )erating the latter during the movement 0 said bar.

2. The combination in adoor actuating device, of a plurality of guided, slidablc doors, arranged substantially in the same plane, means for simultaneously locking and unlo king said ilurality of doors, longitudiaaliy slotted liars connected to the cylinders with pistons and. piston rods for operating the bars, and intermediate connections between the bars and the doors whereby each door is first unlocked and then opened. I

3. The combination in a door-actuating slidable doors, indc Lndent fluid pressure cylinders, pistons, ano rods, slidable bars with which the rods are connected, connections between said bars and the doors, and locking devices actuated y the bars.

4. The omhination in a-dmr-actuating devicc. ot )lurality of guided, slidable doors. ione'ztu inally slottedbars, lluid pressure cyliri ers and connections by which the bars may be moved, pins carried by the door hangers and adapted to engage the slots of the bars, lfl'klllg dcvicer, and means whereby the bars first actuate so idlocking devices,

' 'lnd subsequently move the doors.

5. The combination in. a door -actuating device, of guided, slidablc doors. lon itudi nally slotted bars, and pins cariied by the doors entering: the slots. fluid pressure inotors connected to move the bars, latches carricd by the doors and vertically aided, slidablc bolts engagcahie with the atchcs, angular extensions on theliars, and a slot. formed in thabolts andcngaging said ex ensions i (i. The flm ldtitdl .u a' umr-actuating deficc. of slidablc doors, latches 'LlirtQfOl', vertically slidabie bolts engageable with the latches, and having a slot formed therein, horizontally siidablc bars having angular iiiuiincs erecting with the slot to operate the bolts. l' ciprocating fluid-pressure engines connected with the bars, said bars having open slots, and pins connected with the door hangers, and engaging with the slots.

7. The combination in a door actuatin device, of a plurality of slidable doors, wit 1 latches and locking bolts, slidalile bars with mechanism for successively uni-0c :ing and opening the door", tluid pressure cylinders, )istons, and rods'connectcd with the slidable ars, valves connected with each cylinder, connecting and close the valves, and means to engage or disengage the valve controlling levers with the bar.

8. The combination in a door-actuatin device, of a plurality of slidable doors, with independently operating fluid pressure cylinders, and intermediate connecting mechanism, rotary four-way valves for each cylinder, lever arms connected to open and close the valves, and means to-en age or disengage any one or more of said evers.

9. The combination in a door-actuatin device, of a plurality of slidable doors with independently operating fluid-pressure cylinders, and intermediate connecting mechanism, rotary four-way valves for each cylinder, lever arms connected to close the valves, a rocking bar with which each of the lever arms is detachably connected, and mechanism by which the rocking bar may be reci rocated.

10. he combination in a door-actuating device, of a lurality of slidable doors, with independent y operating fluid pressure cyl-' inders and controllin valves, means actuated from the cyliu erS to close and lock the doors, indicators and an electric connection, and contacts by which a circuit is completed byeach door, when properly closed. v

11. A iocinng device tor (10015, said device including a horizontally slidahlnmnd longitudinally slotted bar, a slidable door having a part operating in the slot of said bar, power devices connected with the bar for operating the same, said bar having a limited movement inde iendent of the door, and a vertically move 10 locking bar, said slotted bar having acam surface adapted to engage and lift the locking bar while the horizontal bar is moved the len h of its slot and independent of the of the movement of the bar 0 ns'the door.-

12. In a locking device for ours, the combination with a slid' his door, and a verticall moving locking bolt therefor, of a. horizontally slidable bar, having a longitudinal slot. said (1001 having art engag ing the said slot and thereby a lowing the barto be moved independently of the door levers and rocking bar to open.

door so that a continuation for a limited distance, and said bar having I cam bar to be moved to disen age the bolt, a cam surface for engaging the locking bolt and afterward contacting wit the end of during the first movement of the bar to disl the slotto open the door. engage the bolt and he t the door to be I In testimony whereof we have hereunto opened. set our hands in the presence of two sub- 13.1111 addevice for fipciratiilngddoors, horiscribing witnesses. zonta ui es u on w 101 t e out is niovy H able, a fiorizontfll'y slidable slotted bar with Qh hRLDERlCK A. KOEII'I Z.

cam surfaces, pins extending from the door into the slots of the bar, a vertically inov- Witnesses: able locking bolt adapted to be engaged by W. D. BELL, the cam bar, said door pins allowing the C. F. McGAnrin'. 

